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Monday, May 11, 2015

Teacher Appreciation Week! (May 4 - May 8)

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

If I had to choose ONE educator who has inspired me - though there are many! - I would have to say it'd be Erin at I'm Lovin' Lit. Erin has ignited a fire inside me that I don't think I knew even existed! Her products are absolutely amazing, and she makes using them extremely easy. She's worked incredibly hard at TeachersPayTeachers for the past couple of years, and it's definitely paid off!

I started blog-stalking Erin about two years ago, when I was first intrigued by the products she had at the time. For the past five or six years, we've been heavily into lapbooking (inspired 100% by Valerie at .....well.....multiple sites! But one is lapbooking.com.). Erin started making interactive notebooks - which were like a lapbooker's dream come true! Now, not only did we have lapbook-y templates and learning.....but it was for the core subjects! Genius! Erin also makes amazing clipart, which I've used on many of my products at my own TPT store.

Not long ago, Erin started making "Practice and Assessment sheet sets" to correlate with her Interactive Notebooks. This way, people could use the interactive notebooks and then have that extra "oomph" to give kids the practice they need. Again, brilliant! I can tell you from talking with this Southern girl that she works extremely hard to make sure she meets the needs of not only her students but also her followers/fans. Erin has truly set off a spark in me to do some amazing hands-on learning. In fact, when we sit down to do many activities, my kids will ask, "Is this something from Erin?" Ha! They've come to recognize her fonts and style of teaching.

Now, I'm very clear on my blog that we're homeschoolers. Erin doesn't specifically create products with homeschoolers in mind. But I will say this: her products work WONDERFULLY for homeschooler because they span multiple grade levels. Furthermore, her practice/assess sheets generally come in three grade levels which is perfect for classroom teachers for differentiation and for homeschoolers in teaching multiple grade levels at once!

So, I've chosen to blog about Erin a little and give her an extra boost at Educents. :)

Here are three reasons why I am thankful for educators:

I've come to learn that homeschoolers and classroom teachers are not rivals! I can learn a lot from teachers, and I know many who have learned how to differentiate in the classroom from ME, simply because they see how I handle multiage teaching.

I appreciate the homeschoolers who have paved the way before me! We've been homeschooling for 10-11 years (depends on if you're splitting hairs over preschool...), and I'm crossing over into "veteran homeschooler." Still, I have a lot to learn--especially from those whose children have graduated already.

They're changing the future. That may sound cliche...and, it is, to some extent. And yet...it's true. The educators of today are creating the adults of tomorrow. What students--whether homeschooled, public schooled or private schooled--learn today will affect how we as a nation grow tomorrow.

Education has such an impact on ourselves and our little ones. Educents is here to help you pay it forward. In honor of Teacher Appreciation week, Educents & Peekapak have teamed up to provide your favorite educators with a gift basket worth over $40, which includes a FREE $10 Educents Gift Card** & 3 months of Peekapak lesson plans (3 digital storybooks, 12 in-class lessons & 12 at-home activities) that teach Character Education and Language Arts.

So, whether it's your mom, your classroom teacher, your neighbors or another special human being who taught you important lessons, thank them by giving them a FREE gift basket, on Educents!